Satisfaction
by Senyor Fier Mensheir
Summary: Having saved the world and returned a ruler to his people, Kurai ventures back into his own personal quest, that of locating what is still missing in his life. Sequel of Change.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer (1): This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Disclaimer (2): I also do not own anything that has to do with Juuni Kokki, Juuni Kokuki, Record of the Twelve Kingdoms, The Twelve Kingdoms. The only things that will probably be mine to claim are some of the names that will appear in the fic.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: Post-DH Disclaimer (2) anime/novel Crossover

Legend: # denotes change of time, while "*" denotes change of scene/perception/POV/center of attention/small change in time

**Satisfaction**

**Chapter one**

On the other side of the shoku, Kurai was met with the cheering of the soldiers of Tai as they had not only managed to hold the youma at bay, but had also managed to push them back. It was all thanks to the timely arrival of Gyousou and Kouri (Taiki), the return of the ruler of Tai got morale to sky rocket, they were viewed as a blessing sent from Heaven.

They did of course cheer even louder once Kurai made his appearance, it was with his arrival that they knew that the day was won, that victory was theirs, though they didn't know the extent of their victory, only that they had beat back impossible odds, and lived to tell about it.

Fuka and Kasumi were not paid any mind, but there were those in the Tai armies that knew them to be agents of Karasu no Kurai. Gyoubou was ecstatic when he found his friend back safe and sound, though the numerous bandages on his body was a little bit disturbing, since it was a well known fact that Kurai was really strong.

"What in the world happened to you? You're even worse off than some of the injured soldiers," Gyoubou said as he approached his friend, "Not that I'm not happy to see you…it's just…man…what did this much damage to you?"

"You try fighting a god, and we'll see how you look after it," Kurai said, "That is if you actually live to tell the tale."

"You f-fought one of the gods?" his exclamation got the attention of all those within hearing distance, "I know you've gone toe to toe with Tentei-sama, did you fight him again?"

"You really should lower your voice," Kurai said, "I didn't fight with him again, I actually helped the bastard."

"Only you would dare insult Tentei-sama," Gyoubou said, "Only you would dare, and would actually live to do it again, and again, and again."

"Well, someone's gotta show him some disrespect," Kurai reasoned, as he conjured a chair for himself to sit in, it was an action that surprised everyone around him, save for his servants, and his two other selves, the soldiers and even Gyoubou had never actually seen him perform such a feat of magic before.

"H-how did you do that?" Gyoubou asked the question that the others there wanted to ask, the feat also managed to catch the attention of Gyousou and Kouri.

"The same way I do everything else that I do," Kurai replied, "With magic of course."

Gyousou approached him, the crowd of soldiers parting for their king…

"Who are you?" Tai-o asked.

"I am Karasu no Kurai," he replied, "I have been the one responsible with the welfare of your country while you have been away. I was also the one responsible for making sure that Taiki lived, and that you would be able to join your people once again."

"Why?" Tai-o asked, "Why have you done such things?"

"Dunno," Kurai replied, "Must be my 'saving people thing'. Hehe, is that a bad thing?"

"I wouldn't say that," Tai-o said, "It's just not something anyone would normally do. What are you going to be doing now that I've returned to my kingdom?"

"Pack up and leave," Kurai said, and motioned, or fake motioned, his _agents_ to go ahead and begin the deconstruction of their headquarters, as he planned on moving to Hou, and finally go on his next adventure, that being the search for his kirin. He also planned on kicking Ryuuki's ass as that particular kirin had yet to find a suitable ruler for his kingdom.

"Why?" Gyousou asked, curious, while Taiki stood slightly behind his friend and master, a man whom he had wished to be with for many a year but was unable to remember much about or of.

"Tai is not my place," Kurai said as he stood and vanished the chair having sufficiently rested, "I belong somewhere else, and still need to find someone precious to me, a task that I have been putting aside to aid in the restoration of peace in your country. I shall have my servants inform Kouko and Shushou of your return."

"Why is it that you speak so casually about those two rulers?" Tai-o asked, or demanded, depending on the perspective, Gyoubou intervened.

"Tai-o-sama, the reason why Kurai speaks so casually about them is that he is their friend," Gyoubou explained, "It may seem a little bit absurd, but that is the truth. He has good relations with the other nations as well, though he is closer to the kirin than to the emperors or kings."

"How in the world did you manage that?" Tai-o questioned Kurai who was preparing to summon up a shoku, since his headquarters had already been absorbed by Fuka and Kasumi, his servants were also waiting for him to summon the shoku that they may leave off to go on their next adventure.

"If one is capable of pissing Tentei off and living to tell the tale, then being friends of monarchs and kirin is a piece of cake," Kurai said before actually summoning the shoku, which his servants crossed into before he did, the last of his servants to pass through was Orochi, "I hope to see you again, once my quest to find my precious person is over…Gyoubou, until next time, and should you need me you know how to contact me."

"See you my friend," Gyoubou said.

"Stop," Gyousou commanded as he had many more questions to ask Kurai, he grew enraged when Kurai simply ignored his command and stepped through. It was only after Gyoubou managed to calm down the ruler that Gyousou's mind finally caught up with reality. He had witnessed a man summon up a shoku, and had heard tales of his deeds all over the world from his soldiers, and from the man that had been keeping the administrative infrastructure in working condition in his absence.

"No one commands Karasu no Kurai," Gyoubou stated, knowing that while it was a little bit disrespectful to his king, but it was still the truth, "Not even the gods."

"What is he?" Kouri asked, "There was something about him that scared me a little."

"He is…I'm not really sure," Gyoubou replied, "All I am sure off is that he is immortal, and stronger than any mortal that I have come across. He is able to tame youma just like any kirin, and can do many of the things that a kirin can do, but at the same time he loves battle and blood. He is very free spirited, and does as he pleases, but always makes time to help the helpless, or simply those in need of a helping hand."

"I see," Kouri said, "There was something else about him, but I can't seem to place my finger on it."

"That man has many secrets," Gyoubou told the Taiho, "I may be his friend, but even I am not aware of half of his secrets."

"*"

The Karasu Organization arrived a few miles away from the capital of the Kingdom of Hou, and once Kurai had sucked in most of his servants into himself, including Hyakko and Orochi, he set about rebuilding his organization's headquarters. The land of Hou was another anomaly in the world, since it didn't have a kirin chosen ruler governing it, but a mere regent. But the land had been getting better and better as if a kirin chosen ruler had been watching over them all this time, which in a sense Kurai was.

"So…now what do we do?" Kikai questioned Kurai as he sat on a stump just below his tree house, on either side of him sat his other two forms.

"I rest for a time," Kurai replied, "While the four of you go out into the world and find me a red headed and crimson eyed woman with amnesia, one with an aversion for meat and blood."

"So…we're basically going to do what you've been doing all this time for Tai," Kikai said, "Except this time, the missing kirin is yours."

"Precisely," Kurai said, "I shall send out my ravens in perhaps a month's time to contribute to the search as I need to rest most of myself, you four being the exceptions to that."

"We kind of figured that out," Eiko said.

"We'll do it, master," Fugen said.

"Hopefully we'll find her, and get some stability in our lives," Aiko said.

"Potters and their red heads," Kikai muttered, which Kurai heard since Fuka threw a pillow at him.

"I heard that," Kasumi said, it was a little unnerving, even though they were kind of used to it.

After their conversation the four generals, as that was how the ravens and Kurai's shirei viewed them as, packed up some stuff and went on their way, choosing to travel in pairs, Kikai with Eiko and Fugen with Aiko. They doubted that the search was going to be easy, which was why they opted to travel to the central continent and begin their search there since it was bigger than the four outer kingdoms, and the likelihood of their target being in the needle in the haystack place was greater.

Kurai didn't forget to send off messages to his ruler friends, and to Ryuuki, about the return of the Tai ruler and Taiho, as well as his changed address. Those were the only three ravens that he let fly, the rest remained within him, regaining the lost strength and energy that they had spent in their battle with all those youma, along with all the other exciting things that they had been doing for the past months to years, depending on the raven.

Shushou was glad that Tai was finally going to stabilize, and if Gyousou messed up, she had a friend she could coerce into convincing the Tai-o to mend his way, lest he end up on the receiving end of the bloody horn of Kurai. Tai was finally one less country to worry about.

Kouko was also delighted to know that stabilization in Tai was finally underway, with their ruler returned, and their Taiho back at full power as well. She just wondered when Kurai would be coming for another visit.

While the two female rulers that Kurai was kind of close to were delighted with the news and wished that he would visit, Ryuuki's was a different story as the letter he received was one with a clear threat, he was told to find the new Ryuu-o before he, Kurai , found his kirin OR ELSE. Ryuuki's imagination ran wild with thoughts of the different things that Kurai could do to him and get away with.

Which was why he became even more determined to find the right person for the job, even going so far as to venture out of the lands of the Twelve Kingdoms to find the rightful ruler of Ryuu, but of course Japan was a dead end.

He really hoped that he found the right person before his deadline since he really didn't want to know what the insane not-really-a-kirin could do to him or would do to him. He knew that Kurai had gone against a god, not Tentei, and won and saved the world from ending prematurely. He also really needed more shirei, his two bears were the only things standing between him and Kurai should he miss the deadline.

He walked and flew, floated and swam, around the lands of the Twelve Kingdoms until he nearly gave up. But due to not really taking care of himself due to his worry that he wouldn't find his king on time, he ended up passed out in front of the doorstep of what appeared to be a simple hovel out in the wastelands of Ryuu. The hovel didn't even look like it had seen any life for a very long time. Things looked a little grim for Ryuuki, as his shirei had no clue what to do with him, so they simply sat there staring at his downed body. They weren't stupid they just didn't know how to act in such a situation.

An hour passed before he was found in front of the dwelling by the dwelling's owner, it was an eleven year old messy black haired and green eyed child, who surprisingly had a scar above his left eye. He had a kind of athletic build, one built for speed, but looked out of place on an eleven year old.

Without really batting an eyelash, after dropping whatever he was carrying in surprise, he quickly walked to the unconscious kirin, and lifted up the surprisingly light man, the Shirei had sunk into the shadows when they sensed the youth's approach as not to startle a would be savior to their master.

The almost teenager brought Ryuuki into his home, laid him on the only bed inside, then began preparing for the care of an obviously not well man. In his current state, Ryuuki didn't look anything like a kirin, or an important person for that matter. Not that the boy would have treated him differently, he only did the things that were done to him back when he was found by whoever it was that had taken care of him.

"T-thank you for taking care of me," Ryuuki said, as he woke up from his semi-coma, it was his immediate reaction upon finding himself in a warm bed, underneath a roof with a young man tending to him.

"Think nothing of it," the boy said, "I am merely doing as I was taught to do by the man that raised me."

"Are you the only one living here?" Ryuuki asked while attempting to stand up.

"I am," he said.

"But…you're only a child, how have you survived all this time?" the kirin asked.

"The person that raised me took me in when I was just a baby, he claimed to have found me in what must have been a battlefield," the boy said, "He died just last year while traveling to Tai to try and help the people there. This was actually his home, it had been in his family for many years, and now it is my home. Even without many people living here, I don't mind, since I still visit the settlements nearby for food and such."

"I see," the kirin said, "How long have I been unconscious?"

"A week," the boy said, "I was starting to worry, since I'm really not that well versed when it comes to medicines, and I don't think I would have been able to carry you all the way to the nearest doctor's place."

"Thank you," the kirin repeated, "I mean it."

"Well since you're awake, would you mind answering some questions?" the boy asked.

"Go ahead," the kirin replied.

"Why were you out here on your own? People rarely ever pass by, and due to the steady decline that our country has been suffering from, even less think of leaving the settlements," the boy said.

"I have been looking for someone," Ryuuki said, "It is very important to me that I find the person I am searching for. I guess, in my search, I had forgotten to take care of myself…if only _that_ man didn't send me _that_ letter."

"_That_ man? You have a deadline of some kind?" the boy asked.

"Yes," the kirin replied, "I have a deadline of sorts, the consequences of not finding the person I am searching for…are grave…"

"Who are you searching for?" the boy asked, "If you can't answer, I don't mind. I apologize for prying."

"It's ok," Ryuuki replied, "But I really can't answer that question. I don't even know the person I'm searching for. But when I find him or her, I shall know."

"Oh," the boy said, "Oh! I'm sorry for not introducing myself I'm Kaizoe, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, you can call me Ryu," Ryuuki said, not wanting to be treated differently by the one that had helped him live.

"It's nice to finally know your name," Kaizoe said, "Well, since you're awake, it's only a matter of days before you will be able to return to your search."

"I would guess so," Ryu said, "Is something the matter?" he asked as he sensed some form of inner conflict from his savior.

"Could I go with you…on this quest of yours…I'd like to see the world…" the boy said, hesitantly.

"I suppose," Ryu said, "But why would you like to come with me? Why me?"

"Because you are off to see the world," Kaizoe said, "Traveling alone must be lonely, so I want to keep you company…I've also been meaning to find a purpose for myself…the man that raised me is gone…and I'd like to do something…so that when I meet him next, I can say that the life he saved did something worth his efforts."

"Then it's is settled," Ryu said, "You can come with me, but you won't be able to take all of your things with you, we'll be traveling a lot, so pack only what you need, and what you cannot live without."

"Thank you, Ryu," Kaizoe said.

#

The ravens returned to their duties all over the world, and around the continent six months after Kurai intended them to soar the skies again. He didn't know why he had waited that long, but it was perhaps due to having expended more power and energy in his battle than he had expected. Fighting against Tentei just for kicks was one thing, but fighting against a foe to save the world was another thing entirely.

Most people had grown used to the lack of ravens being found everywhere that their re-emergence was not met with much rejoicing, save for those that knew of their source. The kingdom of Tai being the exception to the rule as the people welcomed the return of their saviors during the absence of their ruler.

Kurai was still viewed as many things, from savior to jester to trouble to plague. He was the most well known personality in all of the world. There wasn't an entity that didn't at least know his name, but of course, there were only a handful of people that knew what he actually looked like, which was why he could walk around without being harassed. Though there were some places that were aware of his general description.

He was walking around Kou to retrieve something from the capital, the kirin of the land had already been born, and Kurai didn't think that he should meddle in the political affairs of the kingdom of Kou. He wanted to retrieve the token that he had left with instructions.

When he got to where he had left the token, there was a cordon of guards around him, not letting anyone near enough to touch it, but only view it. It was only coincidental that Kurai had arrived at the place just as the Kou Taiho did. It was a surprise visit, the kirin had been told of the significance of the object from the being known as Karasu no Kurai, and wanted to see it with his own very eyes.

"_Maybe I should just leave it…_" Kurai said softly, then turned around without even looking at the thing, Kou had suffered a lot, but not to the extent of Tai, and he doubted that the people would appreciate his meddling, since he had already left them that token, the thing that the rule of their nation was to bring to him, once he or she was chosen.

"Excuse me," Kouki said as he jogged up to Kurai as he left the area.

"Yes?" Kurai said, not bothering to turn around, the new Kou Taiho was around five but due to training sounded and probably acted at least like a teenager, "What do you need?"

"Were you planning on stealing a national treasure?" the kirin innocently asked.

"I was not planning on stealing anything," he replied calmly, even as the guards prepared to engage him in case he decided to attack them to steal the object they were guarding.

"But I heard you," the kirin said, "You said that you should leave it, when you were looking in the treasure's direction."

"Whatever little kirin," Kurai said as he began to walk off again, "Go do your duty and find your master, I have other more pressing things to worry about."

As Kurai began to walk away the child kirin grabbed hold of his sleeve, halting his movement.

"Wait," the kirin said, "I believe you…but why don't you show me the respect I deserve? Are you not fearful of a reprisal from Heaven?"

"Heaven can go fuck itself for all I care," Kurai replied, "I have no business with you kirin, and should you decide that my personality is what you believe is worthy of becoming your master, you are sadly and sorely mistaken."

He then shook the kirin off of his arm, and walked further away. The soldiers seeing the disrespect shown to one of their country's highest officials, attacked, their reasoning being that the actions of Kurai had insulted not only the kirin and the country, but also Heaven.

"Go back to your duty," Kurai said, as he split himself into three, Kasumi and Fuka merging quickly with shadows so as to keep his identity secret, even fewer knew of Kasumi and Fuka, and fewer still knew of their being himself.

The two other forms which Kurai took on occasion leapt out of the side streets to engage the soldiers, knocking them all out, but not killing them, as much as he wished to taste some blood on his blades, there were far too many witnesses, and there was no real valid reason for any bloodshed.

"You are wasting precious lives kirin, every second you hesitate, every chance that you miss out, you sacrifice more lives of Kou," Kurai said partingly, "A Kingdom without a chosen ruler is destined for destruction, is destined for sorrow, despair, pain, loneliness, and hardships."

"That's enough!" Ryuuki's voice was suddenly heard in the area, he too had wanted to see this treasure which his friend had left behind in the county's capital. With him was the boy Kaizoe, the boy still not aware that his own friend was a kirin himself. Ryuuki's hair had turned a dirty brown due to not taking care of himself, and his shirei had yet to make an appearance as they did not want to startle or scare their master's friend, "Kasumi, Fuka, stand down. Karasu, you as well."

"I wasn't going to do anything," Kurai said, "They decided to attack me without provocation, I was merely walking away from some annoying brat that thinks that sightseeing is more important than his own country."

"You're one to talk," Ryuuki said, "You've just been wandering the world while…"

"You've said too much Ryu," Kurai said, "Even while away I have helped my country, even now I still help. I am still searching for her, how about you?"

"I have…not found that person yet," Ryuuki said, "But that does not mean that I have given up, or that I have abandoned my country. You have people that could search for her for you, while there would be those that would not believe that you are who you claim to be, you could still use your reputation to help."

"Let us not speak of this any longer," Kurai said, "I have determined that she is not here, and while I had originally wanted to take back what I had left, I see that it servers a different purpose from the one that I had intended it to."

"Eh? Who're you?" Kouki asked, turning to face Ryuuki.

"I am Ryu," Ryuuki replied, then introduced the young kirin to his companion, "And this is Kaizoe, my companion. He is traveling with me to find a purpose, while I search for an important person to me. I apologize, but I only came to see the treasure, and though I might seem a little disrespectful, Karasu has wasted enough of my time. I hope to see you again sometime, Kouki."

Kurai had already walked off, his other two bodies in tow, while Ryuuki had been speaking with the distracted kirin. All in all it was a rather productive day, Ryuuki had grown a backbone, and the new kirin had learned that life isn't all about fun, as he seemed to think that it was.

Ryuuki eventually managed to catch up with Kurai, as he wanted to speak with his fellow shapeshifter.

"What do you want?" Kurai asked, he had already reabsorbed Kasumi and Fuka.

"I wanted to introduce you to a new friend of mine," Ryuuki said, "He saved my life, since I was too focused on the possible consequences of not finding that person."

"Very well," Kurai said, and stopped walking, and also turned to face the youth, his face actually showed surprise at being faced with the boy, "Well, well, well…I am Karasu no Kurai, Ryu's friend. Who might you be?"

"I am Toukou Kaizoe, nice to meet you sir, though I don't think you're actions regarding the kirin were appropriate," he said.

"Interesting name you have," Kurai said, "If Tentei accepts the way I act, then who are you to dictate what is proper to me."

"Kurai, that's a bit harsh, isn't it?" Ryu said.

"Whatever," Kurai said, "I've been a bit stressed lately, my generals have yet to locate even a clue about her possible whereabouts, the only red head that sticks out cannot possibly be her, I've checked."

"Who are you looking for sir?" Kaizoe asked.

"I am looking for someone precious to me," Kurai replied, "That is all you need to know. But tell me, I am assuming that since you are traveling with Ryu, that you lived alone before meeting this hopeless excuse of a man."

"I've been living by myself for a year, or at least I was, before I met Ryu," Kaizoe said, "Why?"

"Your name sounds familiar," Kurai said, "Who was it that took care of you?"

"Why does it sound as if you know that I was adopted?" the boy asked.

"What's wrong Karasu?" Ryuuki asked.

"I've seen you before," Kurai said, "Or at least someone that looks like you…a long time ago. The name is also familiar, in the sense that I have met a man with the name Toukou. So tell me, your caretaker, what was his name?"

"It's a bit funny really," Kaizoe said, "But his name was Kyonshi."

"Well, well, well," Kurai said, "That is a very interesting bit of information."

"Why is that, sir?" Kaizoe asked.

"I've met that man before," Kurai said, "It seems that I am not the only anomaly in this world. Tentei will not be happy should he ever find out," he then spoke to Ryuuki, "Make sure that no one else knows of the identity of his caretaker. Tentei does not approve of meddling with his world, and it seem like one of _those five_ has meddled one time too many. My existence can be forgiven, but for Toukou Kyonshi to have meddled with the world, I doubt that Tentei would be even a little bit merciful."

"What are you talking about? You knew Kyonshi-jii?" Kaizoe asked.

"I knew him," Kurai said, "That man is not dead, but where he is now, you may not follow. It was nice meeting you, Kaizoe. May fortune come your way."

"I hope you find this girl you're looking for," Kaizoe said, "I hope to see you again."

"When you have the time," Ryuuki said, "Could you send me a report on how the meddling is bad, or what has been affected, as well as in what way Kyonshi-sama has meddled with the world?"

"I'll send Karasu no Fuka to you, when I'm sure of my list," Kurai said as he walked away in the direction of Kei and Kou's border.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer (1): This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Disclaimer (2): I also do not own anything that has to do with Juuni Kokki, Juuni Kokuki, Record of the Twelve Kingdoms, The Twelve Kingdoms. The only things that will probably be mine to claim are some of the names that will appear in the fic.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: Post-DH Disclaimer (2) anime/novel Crossover

Legend: # denotes change of time, while "*" denotes change of scene/perception/POV/center of attention/small change in time

**Satisfaction**

**Chapter two**

He wasn't really all that sure where he was going, just that his only remaining purpose, other than ruling Hou, was to locate his missing kirin, a one-in-a-million girl with blood red hair and eyes, or at least that was the description he knew of her true humanoid form. The Kingdom of Hou just kept getting better and better as time wore on, some people believed it to be the work of their interin ruler, while others believed that their taiho had managed to find a suitable ruler for them, and was just delayed.

There were also others that simply believed that heaven's light was just shining down upon them for the time being.

He had been traveling for several months now, and in his travels he had come up with nothing, not even clues as to the whereabouts of his missing kirin. It was even more frustrating than his little arguments with Tentei that he had on some days when the god and he were bored out of their minds. They might claim that they found each other annoying, but they both knew deep down inside themselves that they enjoyed each other's company.

But that was beside the point. He had spent so many months searching for his kirin that he was growing impatient and frustrated. What was worse was that Ryuuki had been bumping into him less and less, he was running out of entertainment in the form of his kirin friend. Sourin didn't really count since her form of entertainment was something else entirely, and Sou-o really didn't mind when he visited anymore.

Shushou was mostly still a very busy tween and thus couldn't be bugged at this time, and so Kurai found himself wandering the wastelands of Ryuu with nothing to do as he had run out of any potential leads. He had even had his servants retire to their little hideaway while he continued alone on his quest.

It was unhealthy of him to do so, or so Eiko claimed, but what did he care. He was just as immortal as Tentei so nothing that happened to him would kill him, it was an impossibility. He was also Shin no Tatsujin, such things as the hands of death wouldn't be able to gain a firm hold of him even with his head removed from above his shoulders.

He had grown a little tired from his constant searching, that he finally decided that it was a prime time for him to rest a bit. He had seen what relentless searching could do to a fellow immortal, not as immortal as he was though, but he didn't like what he saw could happen to him. So he chose to have a bit of a rest.

He settled down, for the time being, in the capital of Han, getting himself a very small plot of land as well as finding some work. Since no one really knew what he looked like he could blend in easily amongst the people of the capital.

He had Fuka and Kasumi walk work with him, he needed his other selves to have some rest and normalcy as well. It just wouldn't do if just him had all the rest and relaxation. It just wouldn't be right for him to just selfishly do that, even though it was for himself mostly.

He had Kasumi work as a waitress in some restaurant, Fuka run errands for random people, and himself, well he worked as a beker of all things. He didn't know what made him chose to go into baking, but he found it as a relaxing experience, he was also able to vent some of his frustration on the dough.

He didn't become some well known baker overnight, that would just be preposterous. What he did was become just another baker, a face in the crowd, and a name that rarely graced the tongue of any man. He had chosen to go by another name, he only thought about it when he realized that the name 'Kurai' was just too notable and famous to be one used.

Although it wasn't quite a name that anyone would willingly name their child since it had a rather complicated background, just as the man who it belonged to had a very complicated past and present and future.

He chose the name Asari, not that he cared if it was either a manly or unmanly name, but it just fit with what he found himself doing. He was still Karasu no Kurai, Hou-o, but it did suit him for the time being. He was, after all, searching, seeking, finding something and someone.

No one bothered him. He just kept to a routine, he didn't really make any notable friends, just customers and acquaintances. Kasumi had some suitors, which creeped out Kurai to no end since Kasumi was him and he was her. Fuka met a few people, he made them his contacts in the city, they gave him information and he did things for them.

By running his errands Fuka also managed to happen to meet iwith someone from his past in the city. It was rather odd for him to find a familiar face in such a large place filled with so many people. If he believed in fate, he might have thought something more of it. But he didn't really believe all that much in fate.

Kasumi met a similar person on accident. Who knew that there were some rulers that had a habit of walking amongst the people disguised as one of them as not all the people recognized their rulers wearing regular clothes. He wasn't bad looking at all from a female perspective, though Kurai still found it weird that he thought so in his Kasumi form.

The man was as handsome as he was eccentric and found himself rather attracted to Kurai's female form, more for her intellect rather than her beauty, something which Kurai had intentionally perfected.

He didn't know how to continue with his journey and mostly sat in contemplation while he remained in the city. It wasn't just his story anymore, it was more than that now. It was more people's stories now, like Ryuuki for one.

Ryuuki had a very interesting life starting just after that little thing with Koutei and Asen. He journeyed with a young companion that reminded him of himself ironically.

He had gone around Ryuu searching for his new master, but eventually grew tired of searching there and finding no results, so he ventured forth into other parts of the world. There were a lot of other people that could possibly cause him to bend the knee.

Kaizoe followed him, and actually was more of a caretaker than just a traveling companion. The boy knew a lot about survival, as well as how to lead, it was a bit unnerving still that the boy had been adopted by one of _them_.

They too eventually found themselves in the capital of Han, but didn't meet up with the Karasu trio. It wasn't really a short vacation, but more of just resting from such a long journey around the place, helping whenever they could or whenever Kaizoe insisted that they help out in some place. That didn't know that he was more or less ordering around someone of higher status in life, but there were those that knew of such things that doubted that the boy would really care since Ryuuki still did owe him his life.

Ryuuki had been forced into the role of a scholar, he found work at one of the smaller local libraries and put his mind to use when it came to all the knowledge there. Kaizoe on the other hand went out to see if he could apprentice under someone about medicine. He wanted to know more to be able to keep Ryuuki healthy as well as himself and any other person they happened to come across.

Ryuuki and Kurai kept in contact with one another via the ravens that could still be found loitering around the kingdoms, though not in the same number as they had been found. The two of them weren't look at as more eccentric than usual whenever they were seen or heard speaking to one of the birds, since there were birds that were used in such a way, though the almost automatic response time was something else to gawk about.

Neither of the two of them bothered to share with the other their whereabouts, they wanted to surprise each other when they found one another again, like a game of hide-and-seek where both parties were 'It' and the one hiding. Or a game of tag.

Kaizoe and Fuka didn't meet each other even though they had a tendency of passing by one another along the many streets of the capital. Kasumi didn't have such luck though since she kept meeting up with the eccentric ruler that enjoyed her company which caused a usually unflappable Hanrin to grow a bit green in envy at the other woman that was occupying her master's time.

Kasumi actually found that little piece of information amusing to her ears. It was something that all of Kurai really liked doing, annoying and irritating others, especially those in power.

Apparently only Fuka didn't do anything of that sort. He was the balance and total opposite of the other two thirds.

There some other people that made visited the city, though for more official business, such as trade talks that required swift decisions, with a side mission of seeking out certain individuals.

Kouko and Shushou were two such individuals, others included their kirin who either came alone or came with them. Ranjou didn't really wonder why there was this sudden interest in his country and just chalked it up to his superiority over En.

"So...anything new with you?" Kurai asked his kirin of a friend.

"Nothing really," Ryuuki said, "Bit boring actually, not that I don't like what I'm doing, but I still haven't gotten any luck with my quest and Kaizoe insists that we remain wherever we are right now."

"I know what you mean," Kurai said, "I'm staying put for the time being since I feel like I need a vacation. So good for you that you're staying put for a while. While you've gotta chose your country's well being over your own, it wouldn't do if you suddenly succumbed to weakness and they'd have to wait for a longer time once again for something good to come their way."

"Yeah," Ryu said, then cheekily added "There's also the fact that you'd miss me, right?"

"Whatever Ryu," Kurai said, "Well I've got to get back to my furnace, my buns are getting a bit too hot for my liking."

"Get to it then," Ryu said.

Their conversations usually went that way everytime they spoke to one another. They didn't get bored about it.

"Lady Kairi needs a dozen more added to her usual order!" Fuka shouted after entering the back of the bakery.

"I know! Her order's ready already!" Kurai shouted over his shoulder as he tended to his wares.

"Got it!" Fuka shouted as he left by the back of the bakery to resume his errands for the day, such as delivery, weeding gardens, and a bunch of stuff that ninjas would consider as chores rather than real missions.

That was more or less how their days went, day by day...


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer (1): This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Disclaimer (2): I also do not own anything that has to do with Juuni Kokki, Juuni Kokuki, Record of the Twelve Kingdoms, The Twelve Kingdoms. The only things that will probably be mine to claim are some of the names that will appear in the fic.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: Post-DH Disclaimer (2) anime/novel Crossover

Legend: # denotes change of time, while "*" denotes change of scene/perception/POV/center of attention/small change in time

**Satisfaction**

**Chapter three**

"While I do believe in giving everyone a choice, I do believe that I keep giving you the very same one each time I come visit and delight not only in the food prepared in this establishment but also in your company," Rnajou said, "So once again I ask, won't you come and join me, instead of working here? It would really please me to have another to speak with that also enjoys talking about the finer things in life."

"And once again, good sir, I must decline," Kasumi said, "I rather enjoy my present situation, and you do seem to have a habit of visiting me often, so why change what already is for something else that is of lesser value. I would not want to part with those I now live with."

"So my suspicions were indeed correct," Ranjou somewhat theatrically said, "My assumptions are correct in that you have found yet another that vies for your attentions or affections."

"Oh, I have several of those," Kasumi admitted yet again to the ire of Ranjou, "But my heart and soul belong to one that has yet to be found, and I assure you it is not you."

"Why not? Kasumi, while I have only known you for such a short time, I believe that you would be happier with me," Ranjou said, "You'd have a better life, even though you'd have to deal with Risetsu though why she can't stand you I'll never figure out."

"I won't help you with that problem," Kasumi said, "So are you eating, drinking, or willing to pay my boss for any more time I shall be wasting in your presence?"

"Ahh, yes, food, can't forget that, I skipped lunch just for your company after all," Ranjou said.

"Just order up already," Kasumi said, "We both know that you don't have that much time in this part of the country."

"Right, sorry," Ranjous said, gave his order, waited for his food, and tried to get the attention of his conversation companion once again, but she only returned to his table to deliver his order before she was off again to serve the other customers as well as her other would be suitors.

When he was leaving the restaurant he bumped in accidentally with a boy he didn't think he'd ever meet again in his life having thought that the boy had truly died that last time they had met. He only realized that it was the boy when he helped the boy back to his feet as well as collect the various parcels that were dropped in both their haste.

"Fuka..is that you?" Ranjou asked, he was of the belief that he was seeing a ghost of all things.

"Err...sorryaboutlasttimegottago!" Fuka said quicky got all of his things and ran faster than any normal kid away from the ruler, he wasn't planning on meeting the man anytime soon or any time at all after their last meeting, it would rouse far too many questions than he was comfortable with answering.

It was a move that had surprised Ranjou, but instead of trying to locate the runaway, he decided that he'd have a chat with his kirin first before sending her or someone that knew what Fuka looked like out to search the city for him. There were many questions that needed answers, such as why the boy hadn't looked like he had aged even a year since they had last encountered one another.

It was true that Kurai and his other forms hadn't aged a day since they had arrived or been created, it was due to the fact that he, Kurai, was an emperor a king of the world and now a minor diety though he didn't really like acknowledging that fact as it still partially pissed off Tentei when he wasn't acknowledged for something that had to do with him.

It was bad, or so Fuka thought, now that someone that wasn't supposed to know him found out that he was still the way he was. Soon someone was bound to connect the dots, and he'd have to take a hike and find somewhere else to have a vacation in, which would mean reintegration in just another part of the world. It was taxing enough to insert themself into this capital's society. There was also the fact that some questions would need answers.

So Fuka did what he thought was best for the whole, he finished all his errands and left town for somewhere else. He was a fugitive, but at least it gave a third of Kurai something to do for the time being. Sure he wouldn't get to see that nice girl he had met some time ago again or for a while, but at least he wouldn't have to deal with Ranjou and his kirin more so than usual.

All it took was one chance meeting and now there was a can of worm open for all sorts of things to do wrong. It was quite troublesome.

The other two thirds were updated on the most recent of events since they were all one and the same, though sometimes they were thought of as separate persoalites. Kurai really was powerful, since as proof, he could be proven to be certifiably insane at this point already.

At least something good would come from the sudden change of plans. Kurai found himself more spread out than he would like but at the same time he could cover more ground this way and get more used to dealing with normal people with more normal lives as compared to his experiences in Tai and in Ryuu.

He needed to hire some new help, and Kasumi would be needing to get some information on what Ranjou's plans were, now that the man knew of Fuka's continued existence.

Ryuuki would also need to be informed of the split so as not to assume that Kurai was entirely in one place should the kirin ever encounter Fuka somewhere that wasn't the city that the rest or core of him was in.

Kasumi was allowed to leave work earlier than usual since she said that something had come up after. Her boss knew that she was a kind of relative of that boy that had bumped into her _favorite _customer, and some trouble must have been brewing for her to request an early end of shift. While it wasn't like her to request such, they knew the importance of family, even ones like the one she considered herself to be a part of.

Her employers knew that she stayed with some baker somewhere in the city and that one of her housemates was a kid that had done some errands for them in the past like fetching some supplies ands uch.

Something was up, or so her other suitors felt as some of them watched her run off in the same direction that the boy had run off to. Some had made to follow her and see what was up and add to the gossip of the city. But found that as soon as she rounded a corner she was gone from their sights and no one around that corner could remember her, even with her unmistakeable beauty.

She was the assassin Kasumi, while Fuka had returned to the thief Fuka.

Fuka left the city after picking up some essentials, while Kasumi arrived some time later to brainstorm with Kurai what to do next. Plans had changed but not by much. They would continue living as they had been. But Kurai had decided to inform Kouko and Shushou about the change, they knew of the Karasu Trio after all. The servants were also informed of the sudden change of plans.

Kurai continued with his day to day, but made sure to keep an eye out for any of Ranjou's people that were sure to be out and about the city scouring for Fuka, or for Kasumi now that she had quit her job and and gone off to work elsewhere, which was sure to cause Ranjou to become a bit more suspicious of events.

That king had indeed sent out some of his people into the city to search for Fuka, but they all turned up with nothing after a week's worth of searching. While they had found people that knew Fuka, none of them could say that they knew where he lived or where he was now.

Some people had been sent out to find Kasumi but they too were unsuccessful in locating exactly where she was, but they were able to find out that she was somewhere in the city. Large as it was, it was hard to locate a single person, even one whose beauty was unmistakeable, she really knew how to hide herself.

Kasumi had decided that the best place to hide was right under the one finding her's nose. She found work as a cleaning lady up in the palace, changing her looks was easy enough. It was as simple as a thought, no one outside of Kurai really knew about that of course. So it was easy to hide in plain sight.

It was a bit of a game of cat and mouse. Fuka hid off in another country, Kasumi hid in the palace and spied on the events that transpired there, while Asari remained in the city as a baker listening to whatever gossip was presented in his presence.

#

Since not everyone really could say that they knew all the important things about Kurai, no one could come to any real conclusion about him other than that he was an occasional pain in the ass for some higher ups and a certain god. He was very helpful, kind, caring, and a right pain in the ass. He was also very powerful and a pain in the ass. Was it already mentioned that he was a sometimes annoying and irritating pain in the ass? Well he was that too along with a few other things.

Kasumi spent her time familiarizing herself with the palace while getting to know here workmates a bit better than at her last place of employment. It wouldn't do for her to find herself doing something not that good in anyone's eyes only to be ratted out on her deed because she chose to confide in the wrong person.

The palace was probably the most dangerous place in all the land, due to the fact that there were many more powers at play in there than in anywhere else in the country. From the cleaning ladies all the way to the court. Politics was played everywhere. There was a social pecking order from the very bottom to the very top.

At the very bottom of both orders were only two people. Kasumi, being a newbie, and a black haired and red eyed semi-beauty, Kousui. Kousui was at the bottom of the ranks due to her unfamiliarization with anything to do with the world in general. She was a taika after all, she admitted to Kasumi after meeting her for the first time.

Some of them weren't all that well liked, thanks to some events in the past, and the pride of some of the natives or true natives that hadn't had the misfortune of being blown off course by a stray and sudden shoku.

Some time passed before Kousui actually confessed to only have met one person that was not a real visitor to the palace. A boy that had been brought to the palace for the protection of the people down in the city below, as well as to sate the interest of Hanrin, the kirin of Han. Kasumi filed that bit of information away for later, since it was only when she was told of that event that she remembered Kousui.

Kasumi, a few days later, admitted to Kousui that she knew Fuka, the boy that the veteran cleaning lady had met that one time. From there the two women became rather closer friends as Kousui wanted to learn more about the world as well as about that boy that she couldn't believe had died as he seemed a bit different from the rest of the people that she had met in her lifetime.

"How was he the last time you spoke with him?" Kousui decided to ask one time when they were alone cleaning one of the many rooms of the palace.

"He was well, he still is I still keep in contact with him you see," Kasumi said, since it was the truth why lie about that anyway with a friend than generally seemed concerned for her/him, "He's on the run from Han-o though."

"Why's that? The King isn't that bad of a person," Kousui said.

"Well Fuka is a suspicious character isn't he?" Kasumi said, "I mean, he hasn't aged a day since the last time he was in this palace after all."

"How do you know that?" Kousui asked her.

"You could say that I knew that friend of his that spoke about a ball of some sort," Kasumi said.

"Who was it then? I'd really like to know," Kousui said, "Also, how's his dream coming along?"

"His dream?" Kasumi said, falsely, "What dream?"

"He told me that he wanted to save the world," Kousui admitted, "It actually brought back some of my older memories from before I found myself here. Still can't remember much of how that happened though."

"Oh?" Kasumi said.

"Yeah, he said he wanted to save the world," Kousui said, "What's rather coincidental about it is that I met a boy like him years ago that said almost the same thing...I wonder how he's been doing."

"Well, I can say that he's gotten good at it, one person at a time and all that," Kasumi absentmindedly said as she continued scrubbing the floor clean.

Her words had quite the effect on her companion, which she was a bit oblivious to herself. Kousui had stopped moving at those words, it cause her to have another flashback, back to the same memory as the last time she had had a flashback. It was a bit creepy.

"What did you say?" Kousui asked once out of her reverie.

"I said that he's gotten quite good at it, one person at a time and all that," Kasumi repeated while continued doing her job.

"Oh," Kousui said and went back to work as well.

"Why? What's up?" Kasumi asked not looking up from her work, their short pauses might cause them to be late for their next task.

"Its just that...well.." Kousui began to say but was interrupted by Ranjou and Hanrin entering the room the two were working in, and while in the presence of such people it was the protocol to be invisible. So they kept to themselves, invisible. They didn't want to be on the receiving end of Hanrin's wrath, kirin though she may be she was still quite strict.

"...I'm telling you I wasn't just imagining things! I don't have a guilty conscience at all!" Ranjou shouted at his kirin, though he didn't mean to shout he was just frustrated at the situation.

"Maybe you were hallucinating and it wasn't him! He couldn't have suvived that fall!" Hanrin said in just as loud a voice, "If he were alive, I have a few questions of my own that want answers. But we're wasting resources on finding someone that could have just held a resemblance to him."

"He ran! What more proof of the authenticity of my claim do you need!" Ranjou shouted back, it was a real argument that had nothing to do with the affairs of the state, which was why no one else was involved.

At this point in such an argument, any servants in the vicinity would have got it in their minds to get away, since such conversations weren't for their ears.

"You two! What are you still doing here?" Hanrin redirected her anger, frustration and irritation, in almos the right direction, though it would have been better had Kousui not been in the blast range as well, "I'm skipping protocol, you've heard too much, pack your things and leave. It looks as if we have too much incompetence in the palace as of late."

"Now, now Hanrin, let's not get to hasty," Ranjou said, "Let's not get too hasty, they have their uses.." but at the look that his kirin was giving him, he had no other choice but to agree with her. They had stayed too long in their presence while other servants would have had the common sense to get away.

"B-but.." Kousui said, how could things go from mediocre to bad for her in such a short time. They had been too caught up in the gossip potential that they had forgotten to use their common sense.

"Leave!" Hanrin shouted, it must have been that time of the month for her, "LEAVE NOW! YOU DISRESPECTFUL POOR EXCUSES OF SERVANTS! OUT! AWAY!"

"I said that out loud didn't I..?" Kasumi rhetorically asked.

"Yea.." Kousui replied as the two of them ran from the wrath of the kirin, while she didn't have that problem, the bleeding part, she still suffered from the hormonal imbalances part of it, luckily not the pains though she sometimes led Ranjou to believe that she did.

They soon found themselves as the laughing stock of the servants and found themselves out of the streets of the capital with only what they owned, which wasn't really much considering what they had each brought into the palace. Kousui of course really only had the clothes on her back.

"Come on," Kasumi said, and pulled her companion to follow her, "I might as well take you somewhere you can work."

"Where? Why?" Kousui asked as she was dragged through the city by the gradually changing in looks Kasumi, "Hey, what's happening to you?" she noticed the changes after all.

"Don't mind it for now, just follow me!" Kasumi continued on, they passed a number of corners and some of Kasumi's former suitors. She didn't kow it but Ranjou would be sending out some people to find her once again, since she had been spotted all of a sudden once again in her former haunts. The former suitors would also be informing those they reported to for some money about her companion.

The two girls arrived at the bakery as the sun was going down. Since Asari already knew about it, he waited outside for the two of them. He was rather interested in Kousui, something told him that she was special, he just didn't know why yet.

"Welcome back," Asari greeted Kasumi as she appered before him with a slightly panting Kousui, "Who's your friend?"

"Her name's Kousui," Kasumi introduced her friend, to one that need no introduction really...most of the time anyway, "Kousui, this is Asari, he's...a friend."

"I take it you both have a reason for visiting?" Asari said.

"Yea," Kasumi said, "We were fired by the kirin."

"I see," Asari said, "So did you happen to comment about her red tide?"

"Yea, pissed her off good," Kasumi said, "Poor Ranjou."

"Haha," Asari said, accompanied by an uncharacteristically infectuous laugh.

"Uhm..Kasumi...what are we doing here?" Kousui asked.

"We'll be staying here from now on," Kasumi stated, "You'll be working for Asari for now, and through him you'll learn about all the things you've been missing out on."

"What makes you think she'll be doing that huh?" Asari said, playing along.

"What? Why? I couldn't really impose," Kousui said.

"You don't really have anywhere else to go do you?" Kasumi said, "Plus, he doesn't really have that many people looking out for him right now. He needs companionship, while I do my own thing."

"Follow me," Asari said, "I'll show you to your room, Kasumi I need you to run an errand for me."

"Oh sure, order around the returnee," Kasumi whined a bit, which caused Kousui to giggle a bit at their interaction with one another, "What'll I be doing boss?"

"I need you to deliver some supplies to Fuka, he's settled in Tai's capital, but doesn't want to draw any attention to himself, which is why I need someone I trust to deliver his supplies to him," Asari said.

"Fine, but you better take care of my friend while I'm gone," Kasumi said, and pulled out a hidden blade and threatened her core form with it.

"Worry not about your friend, I'll make sure she is taken care of," Asari said before directing Kasumi to where the supplies were.

It was the beginning of a new homelife for Asari, or Kurai.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer (1): This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Disclaimer (2): I also do not own anything that has to do with Juuni Kokki, Juuni Kokuki, Record of the Twelve Kingdoms, The Twelve Kingdoms. The only things that will probably be mine to claim are some of the names that will appear in the fic.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: Post-DH Disclaimer (2) anime/novel Crossover

Legend: # denotes change of time, while "*" denotes change of scene/perception/POV/center of attention/small change in time

**Satisfaction**

**Chapter four**

Asari's home life was not anything he was used to.

While he was used to either Aiko or Eiko fussing over his health, he wasn't all that used to someone living with him that he couldn't simply order around unless they were working. It was a new experience for him. He was used to having subordinates and servants, but not anything like Kousui.

The woman at first didn't really know how to act around Asari, but eventually warmed up to his presence, even though it should have been the other way around.

She really didn't have anywhere else to go since the place that she had called home, since her second to the earliest memories, had kicked her out. She stayed with Asari and vowed not to be a burden to him.

She didn't understand why she wanted to please him so much, and just chalked it up to his being friends with one of her first friends, a friend that she hadn't seen in quite some time due to an errand that Asari had sent her on.

"Asari! We're running out of brown sugar!" Kousui said from the cellar where all the materials and ingredients for the bread and pastries were kept, she was checking their inventory at the end of day in preparation for the next day.

"I already posted an order for some more," Asari said after thinking for a second about the sugar and that it was needed for some of their cookies and cakes, the bakery had grown in wares ever since Kousui arrived since he had a tongue that could give him an unbiased opinion about his concoctions.

"Ok!" she said still in the cellar, "Well that's everything, I'm coming back up, so no jokes on how my beauty has been tarnished from spending my time in your dungeon."

He once told her she looked as pale as a ghost after the remnants of a sack of flour had fallen on her, coating her in white. She had been teased in a good way for the first time, it was a pleasant experience, but felt a bit embarrassed when he helped her clean up. She wasn't used to such an interaction, not yet but was getting there.

Their lives were rather uneventful seeing as there wasn't all that much problems all over the world that affected the rest of the world as a whole. In Han there were no real problems dealing with anything, just the politics that were mostly generally harmless for those that lived as the middle class did.

Kousui had grown used to the occasional odd person that visited their shop and home. These odd persons usually wore some sort of military attire and others were so covered up that they could have passed off as lepers, spies, rogues, bandits, or assassins. They were a mixture of karasu and soldiers of Kurai's heavenly army coming in for orders. Kousui had yet to figure out that they arrived at certain times on certain days only.

One such odd person entered their shop the very next morning just after it had opened up for the day. Kousui had the job of manning the front while Asari could concentrate on the baking in the back and bottom of the place they lived and worked in.

"How may I help you today, sir?" Kousui asked as she heard the bell of the door of the shop jingle.

"Ah, err," the man said, it was a soldier this time and not a crow or raven, "Where's...A-Asari-sama?" the soldier wasn't used to calling his boss by such a name since he was more used to calling him Kurai or something else, but not by that new name of his. He didn't really approve of all this hiding in plain sight thing, but what could he do, it wasn't like he could tell his superior what to do, since this was the very same person that could go toe-to-toe with Tentei himself.

"Asari! There's someone here looking for you," Kousui called out.

"Who is it! The rolls are at a critical point I can't leave!" it was one of those times that his baking took precedence over other things, "What do they want?"

Hearing his orders, or as close to orders as he could get with her, she turned back to the unfortunately not customer.

"So, as you've heard him say, who are you and what business do you have with him?" she asked him, "And if you're not buying you might want to make your answer short and sweet, before I decide that you're scaring our other customers."

"Heheh...I'm Sho, Kazukihara Sho...I was sent here to receive new orders from A-Asari-sama," Sho, the soldier, replied.

"Oh, new orders? So you are a customer after all," she said, not really knowing the truth yet, "So what'll you be having then?"

"Err...not that kind of order, but I'll gladly have some chocolate chip cookies if you don't mind, a baker's dozen would suffice," Sho said, just to placate the woman and not get himself in trouble with his boss who was coming out from the back with a tray filled with some goodies.

"Why do you still keep on coming back here every week?" Asari said, "Well, new orders, I suppose you can just continue as you have been doing, patrolling and all that, and I'm extending the invitation for anyone willing to apply to work as my delivery service, business has been booming as of late. I need more hands!"

"Its too early for you to be complaining!" Kousui said as she bopped him playfully on the head the helped with with placing their latest batch of wares on the shelves, then turned to Sho once again, "On the house, since you'll be delivering some sort of message to whoever you work for," she handed over the parcel with the cookies.

"Uh..thanks, ma'm," Sho said, and bolted out of there with the cookies. He was scared for some reason. He didn't really know why, cause he sure as hell knew that the woman with his boss wasn't Kasumi in another form.

"Why'd you have to go and scare him off?" Asari asked his companion as he finished laying out everything that he had finished baking which was quite a lot, "They're a regular occurrence here anyway, you should be used to them by now."

"I didn't scare him off, I was actually a bit scared myself," she admitted, she didn't really like admitting such things to him even though she had been living with him for quite a while, "Those people keep coming by, you usually are out here to speak with them, and you left me alone with one of them..."

"I apologize for that, his arrival actually slipped my mind," Asari said, "It won't happen again, though you'll have to get used to the ones that will eventually come looking for work. Business is expanding after all."

"Yes, yes it is," Kousui said, "I was wondering if...well.."

"Go on," he told her, wanting to know what it is that she wanted.

"If once we get more help around here...you could take me on a vacation of sorts..get to see the world and all that," she said hopefully.

"I suppose," he said thinking about it, "If we do leave, Kasumi will have to be here to oversee everything, I will not leave my masterpiece in the hands of amateurs!"

With those words she more or less got her wish to see what the world had to offer and possibly get some of the fuzziness out of her head. Asari on the other hand believed that it was a good enough excuse to get back on the road in search of whatever it was that he was still searching for.

Kasumi returned to the shop a month and a half later, bearing some good news from Tai as well as Hou. Kousui didn't really know why she was happy that other countries, different from the one where she had lived for so long, were doing so well. She just accepted it as being a part of being with Asari as she was.

"So...have fun on your journey," Kasumi told them before they left through the gates of the city, just her luck as she turned around she found herself face to face with Ranjou, though this time not in his commoner clothes, but his royal ones.

It seemed that the reason why she had failed to hear any other noise other than herself and Kousui was that Ranjou had managed to supress his presence long enough for his soldiers to get everyone else out of the vicinity.

"So we meet again Kasumi," Ranjou said, "Where have you been hiding all this time, and how do you know that former servant of mine from the palace, hmm?"

"How about I skip answering you and get to getting away from you," Kasumi said, "Since you only managed to find me now and I know you don't know where I live.." she paused, before springing into action, "Can't catch me _Dog of Heaven_!"

"Dog? DOG?" Ranjou exploded in anger and ordered his men, "CATCH THAT BITCH! NO ONE INSULTS ME AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"

His soldiers sprung into action as well. They chased after a far superior Kasumi who had a lot of battle experience under her belt. She was Kurai after all, the female part of him. She jumped up onto the roofs and ran as fast as she could before transforming into a hawk to go even higher.

The soldiers followed her on kijyuu of their own. A hawk wasn't supposed to be a match for them, but she managed. As soon as she could tell that all of them were on her tail, she dived down, and came out of the dive when she was close to the ground. The chase continued through the streets themselves, and people began wondering why the royal guard were chasing down a hawk of all things.

She was being hunted, hunted by amateurs compared to her. She would evade capture, she would not get caught, and if worse came to worst, she could just simply vanish, return to the state of being where there were only two halves to a whole instead of three thirds to it. No one outside of Kurai's inner circle knew about that little tidbit.

She chose a route that lead away from where the bakery was, and when she was about cornered. Trapped more like, she transformed into a rat at the last second and dropped into one of the drains on the side of the road. Once down in the sewers, it was only a matter of time before she would make her escape.

But she forgot that a kirin had shirei helping them, and found out that the only way that she could get away, without alerting anyone to where she stayed, was by vanishing. She couldn't afford to transform or change her looks in such a place where a shirei could be watching.

It would later be reported to Ranjou that his prey had drowned in the sewers, another death on his watch, and this time due to his rash actions. It was a good thing that it didn't count against him since his capital was not visited suddenly by a youma or two.

#

It had been a month since he had sent a Karasu to take over the bakery in his stead, since Kasumi was temporarily out of commission and Fuka was too far away. Ranjou was getting a bit too curious now, and if things spiraled out of control he would be on the receiving end of a nasty beating courtesy of Tentei. He was in a way meddling with the mandate of heaven more than even he would like.

He had a troubled look as he traveled with Kousui for that month, and while she didn't pry, she wasn't quite sure if she could hold out her curiosity and worry any longer. She had rarely, if ever, seen Asari wear such a mask over his face showing her a smile when he was clearly not happy about something at all.

"Asari...are you alright?" Kousui decided to brave his false face and ask him, as she had grown quite concerned, just a moment ago he was telling him about the town that was to be their next stop, and how he was so sure that there were some traveling performers there.

"What do you mean Kousui?" he asked her, as he came back to the real world and out of his sudden dive into his thoughts on his presently slightly growing and at the same time lessening problems. He gave her a slight smile, one that didn't manage to hide what he wanted to keep hidden longer.

"I know you haven't really been all that happy this past month, ever since we left the capital," she told him, "I've been a bit worried, so...please tell me what's wrong...do you miss Kasumi or something?"

"Eh? Miss Kasumi, no, that's not it," he said, "Though I guess I have been a bit troubled as of late. But things should turn out fine, I apologize for worrying you. Come on, let's move a bit faster so we won't miss whatever performance those performers will be having, hopefully they won't have anything about Karasu no Kurai this time."

"I don't think you should keep something that's bothering you bottled up inside," she said to him, halting in her walking making him stop as well, "I mean, it can't be all that good for you."

"Hehe, well you got me there," Asari said, then admitted, "To tell you the truth, I'm not all that used to sharing what I'm feeling with others, much less a pretty girl I've only been in the company of for a few months. Though thanks for offering to be the ear or shoulder I need. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime," she said, then blushed a bit upon realizing that she might had overstepped herself that time and was about to apologize for getting into his personal space when a finger upon her lips stopped her from saying anything.

"Shh, don't speak," he said, "I didn't mind what you did. Its the first time that someone actually genuinely cared about me, after such a long time. Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome," she said once he removed his finger, she was really not feeling comfortable with his presence anymore. It was a weird feeling really.

"So shall we get going? The town's not that far from us now," he said to her, "Though if you're tired from all the walking I could carry you the rest of the way if you want."

"Err...thanks but no thanks," she said, sheepishly and decided to walk ahead of him and a bit faster than him. The sooner they got to be around more people, the sooner she would be a lot less uncomfortable. She liked and didn't like the alien feeling, and thought that she needed some time to think about what it could be.

During the month of their travels so far, they hadn't really come across anything strange whatsoever, or anything rather troublesome for that matter. Nothing had come for them, attacked them, nothing bad had really happened. While Asari wanted nothing to change that or jinx that, he was growing a little bit bored as he was rather used to having to fight or something. He also didn't have that outlet to vent any frustrations he had.

So without further ado, it was with great pride and pleasure that upon reaching the town, it was a port town of course, Asari and Kousui stumbled upon a hostage taking situation. Kousui was immediately grabbed once the ambush was a success and Asari was separated from her via being knocked out. He was actually knocked out. It was a first of many things that have happened in his life.

He had been taken by surprise as he didn't think that one of those one in a thousand or a million things that happened in prosperous countries would happen to him. Curse his want for adventure, it had just gotten someone that he cared mildly for in trouble.

At least the situation gave him a reason to cut loose, it wasn't often that he got to play the hero anymore. He was far too busy being a baker, a simple caterer to the palette of people wanting baked delights. He pulled created a pair of sai, as that was what he was going to use to do battle. He didn't need to pull out his many trump cards. He would be going at this old school style.


End file.
